Assassin's Creed Rogue's Templar Anti-Hero Is Fascinating

Behind the man who assassinates assassins.

By
Mitch Dyer

Assassin's Creed Rogue is the darkest, most brutal game in the entire series, but its main character -- a Templar who hunts and kills assassins -- isn't the villainous sociopath I expected. Shay Patrick Cormac has goals, regrets, fears, and a grounded personality that makes him a fascinating character.

"One thing we wanted to make sure of is that we don’t create a monodimensional, very flat character, a stereotypical bad guy who kills the good guys," Ubisoft Sofia Managing Director Ivan Balabanov told IGN. "In Assassin’s Creed Rogue, and Assassin’s Creed Unity for that matter, it’s about exploring the gray areas. It’s not about the good and the bad, the right and the wrong. They’re both fighting for something pretty similar, but they have different methods. What we wanted to make sure is that Shay is a relatable character, someone who you understand why he is doing what he’s doing.”

Shay, the Dublin-born son of a fisherman, attracts the attention of the assassin order early in his military career. His combat skills gain him entry into the illusive brotherhood, but an eventual betrayal sends Cormac into a rage. But his response isn't youthful angst -- he internalizes his anger, and it weighs heavy on his shoulders. Shay is conflicted about his feelings toward his former family, and it's what drives the Templars to manipulate his motivations. His goals align with the assassins' greatest enemy, and he adopts the red cross.

Shay's story happens across a decade, with the majority of its major events occurring during the Seven Years' War. His fall from grace happens slower than I expected, and it contributes to making him more of a convincing character. In the early hours of Rogue's story, I could see Shay letting go of, or becoming more passionate, about what he wanted. “We are simply providing the framework for the player to see the alternatives.”

Balabanov explained, "We focused on Shay as a human being, his story, why he’s doing what he’s doing, all in the context of demonstrating these gray areas." The gray areas Rogue explores cuts both ways, too. Amid the war, the brotherhood engages in questionable behavior. I won't spoil how -- but it does lead to one of the most preposterous, hilarious events in the entire series: Benjamin Franklin gave me a grenade launcher. Assassin's Creed's tenuous grip on history is starting to slip away, but hey, it's a fun tool for sending enemies into a rage, blowing up walls, or gassing groups of bad guys into unconsciousness.

This doesn't fall in line with Shay as a somber, contemplative man, either, but it plays into the level of brutality he exacts on his assassin targets. Balabonov explained, “There are not many lines which Shay doesn’t cross. It’s a dark story. It’s probably the most tragic of AC games so far. You see that Shay is not somebody who, once he’s made up his mind, he’s forgotten what it’s like to know these people. He knows who they are. He’s regretful when he kills them."

More importantly, he continued, "Shay, he doesn’t forfeit his humanity when he becomes a Templar. He simply decides to follow another cause. It does not turn him into a callous, mindless killer. Shay remains Shay. He has an emotional evolution throughout the game, but it’s still him, he’s simply changes his outlook. His loyalties remain the same.”

Shay Cormac is a human being, one that I can understand and relate to more than Connor, Ezio, or Altair -- all of whom had human motivations as well. It's discomforting that the assassin I find the most interesting is the one who's killing the people I've fought alongside for almost 10 years of my actual life.